Redefining Success Through Employee-Centricity

Stephan Meier Outthinkers Podcast

Customer-centricity has long been at the forefront of conversations that involve optimizing profit, with the idea that happy customers lead to increased revenues. But a new theory is quickly gaining traction—that employee-centricity is equally important.

Stephan Meier, is Chair of the Management Division and the James P. Gorman Professor of Business Strategy at Columbia Business School whose work lies at the intersection of behavioral economics, business strategy, and the future of work.

Meier is a big advocate for the idea that happy employees not only boost company morale, but have a clear direct correlation on the bottom line. In his forthcoming book, The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive, he collects fascinating case studies and insights from his research to showcase how businesses that invest in employee experience often outperform others.  

He joined the Outthinkers Podcast to discuss:

  • How you can adapt customer-centricity frameworks and tools to improve your employee experience 
  • The four key motivators in the workplace beyond compensation that have an enormous impact on performance
  • How technology can both help and hinder the workplace—and how you can use it to optimize the employee experience

Episode Timeline

00:00—Highlight from today’s episode
1:26—Introducing Stephan+ the topic of today’s episode
2:59—If you really know me, you know that…
5:34—What’s your definition of strategy?
06:06—The thesis of Stephan’s book
08:38—Clarifying employee value creation 
09:58—Employees as the new customer  
16:13—How companies should see their employees
19:49—Are companies really prioritizing employees? 
22:03—Common misconceptions about employee motivation 
27:47—Exemplary employee-centric companies 
32:20—How can people follow you and continue learning from you?
 
Watch a highlight clip of the episode below:
Stephan Meier quote Outthinkers Podcast

Outthinker Networks is a global peer group of heads of strategy, innovation, and transformation at $1B+ companies who are determined to move their organizations to the next level. Members engage in curated learning, practical conversations, and networking opportunities to be more successful in performing their roles, solving their top challenges, and keeping their organizations ahead of the pace of disruption.

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